Welcome to our World

On Sunday morning around 6:15am I headed out my bedroom door to go to Ward Council & this is what I saw. Dan had stayed up after I was in bed writing reasons why he loved me on these hearts & hung them on the wall. I told him it was the best Valentine's Day ever. He was pretty surprised I would say that after our trip to the Stanley Hotel a couple years back, but the idea behind this was so touching it got mega brownie points in my book. Thank you, honey! Here are a couple pictures of our cuties on Valentine's Day behind our house. This is an old chicken coupe I can see from my kitchen window. (Those neighbors moved away in August so it is vacant now.) When Dan bought Kaelah a V-day shirt I began to think this would make a great background for a photo op. My parents helped me walk the children across the busy street our home backs up to & we were done in no time. I'm glad we did it. They are all holding a V-day stuffed animal from dear Grandma Karyl. ...

The tradition continues! I feel so fortunate to know such wonderful families & celebrate my beloved Chinese New Year every year. 謝謝, 謝謝, 謝謝! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I don't know what I would do without you, Melinda.

Hooray for Kaelah turning 3 and a half! We are so proud of our big girl. She got to celebrate her half birthday at preschool since she has a summer birthday. I was glad because her half b-day comes only 4 days before Dan's real birthday. Her teacher, Ms. Stacie, couldn't have done a better job of keeping it low-key, including all of the children, & still talking about Kaelah. I was very impressed. Kaelah didn't like the focus being on her or the change in her school routine, but it was thoughtful, nonetheless. Kaelah continues to be a wonderful big sister to Michelle. There is certainly a special bond between these two. Now that Michelle is crawling around more it is sometimes hard for Kaelah to not get to hold her as much but she takes wonderful care of her dolls & especially her teddy bears. She is one very bright little girl. It is so fun to see her use her imagination more & more. As you can see from the top picture she can also be quite fun &...

Hard to believe as I sit here on a Wednesday when it is a -8 degrees outside that last Friday my father helped my take my 3 little ones to the zoo... with no jackets necessary. Seize the day! Kaelah & Danny loved watching the elephants do tricks. And my 19-month-old learned a new word: emu. It was so funny. We got a free ride on the carousel because we became zoo members that day. Danny was so excited to ride the lion. He & I didn't realize until after the ride started that the lion didn't go up & down like most of the animals. I finally switched him to another one when the controller couldn't see. Poor kid is too smart for his own good. You would not believe how much time we spent looking at birds this trip. Michelle was going so bonkers over the African penguins she kept trying to leap out of my arms & was reaching for them & making the noise she does when she wants to pet Meigo. This was inside "Bird World." There were 2 huge beaut...

I lost my wedding ring. Yeah, see that in the picture? The ring my husband saved up for while he was still in college & I was on my mission. It's gone. The last time I saw it was the day we left for Utah to spend Thanksgiving with Dan's family. After combing the house & the van (including taking apart the bathroom sinks), we've given up. We were sick about it (still are). I convinced Dan to just buy me a fake one even though he said I needed a real one because diamonds are forever. I said I didn't deserve another diamond. He said he didn't think I would loose another one. We couldn't find a fake one small enough for my finger anyway. One night when my parents & our family were eating out at the mall my dad saw me looking at wedding rings at Kay Jewelers. Somehow I had failed to tell my father about loosing my ring. After recovering from the shock, he told me his father had given him his mother's engagement ring. I went to my parents...

Isn't it obvious we're crazy about this guy? Happy Birthday, husband of mine.

A time to take a picture of the frig before clearing it off to begin again... a time to visit the dentist & shock the world at your bravery for the promise of going to Wendy's & seeing Sister Johnson afterward... a time to show off your new tooth brush after your 1st ever trip to the dentist with a GQ flare... a time to discover the yumminess of yogurt... a time to get your first black eye (from crashing into your big sister's window seat)... a time to be adorable. And Dan & I get fresh starts with new callings at church as well. Dan is moving up from Primary to Sunday School teacher after being there for 4.5 years. I am moving from Primary to Young Women's after serving there for almost 9 years. I was kind of hoping for a 10-year pin or something. lol. I could not be more surprised or pleased to be the new YW President with the best counselors & secretary ever. The girls are great, especially the Laurels (ages 16 to 18), who I get to spend the most ti...